h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Whenever professional footballers are in the news, its all about fighting, drinking and "baby Bentleys".

Well, David Weir was in the enws this week. Someone nicked his Mini Cooper from outside his house in Warrington. And I saw him the other week, shopping in Borders. He was carrying a broadsheet newspaper and buying his kids drinks in Starbucks (i heard him telling one of them off for choosing one with too much sugar in). apparently he flies up to Glasgow for Rangers games because he doesn't want to uproot his family, who are setled down here, for the sake of a six month deal.

Also, Alan Stubbs runs a cafe in Kirkby (will be handy if we build our new ground there) and Lee Carsley spends most of his spare time funding disability initiatives, inspired by his son Conor who was born with Downs Syndrome. Carsley runs the Solihull Downs Syndrome Support Group, and also organises fund raising activities for the EVerton Disabled Supporters Association.

On an entirely different note, Jonathan Woodgate has the most verbose tatoo in football. A quote from American Football coach Vince Lombardi, it says "The darkest moments of our lives are not to be buried and forgotten, rather they are a memory to be called upon for inspiration to remind us of the unrelenting human spirit and our capacity to overcome the intolerable."

I've strayed from my original point, which now escapes me, but really I'm just sharing some trivia about Premiership football.

A footballer who reads serious newspapers and really puts himself out for other people's benefit? That's all quite heartwarming! Mr. Weir sounds like a really guy!

As for Woodgate - that's not a tattoo, that's a paragraph! Where on his anatomy is all that?

"Jonathan Woodgate has the most verbose tatoo in football."

He was also known to light expensive cigars with fifty pound noted in student establishments around Leeds. Nice juxtaposition with the first part of your post.

Then again he also injured himself by glassing himself in the head. Clever bloke our Jon...

I just put that Woodgate bit in because it popped into my head, not because it in any way related to the other ramblings.
- and it's on his back, Ormy.

I just thought that he made a nice juxtaposition is all...

Our captain has just knocked out 3 of our vice-captain's teeth in a 'training ground incident'

Today he was still captain.

After he just knockedout 3 of the vice-captains teeth would YOU wanna tell him he wasnt captain any more?

I think Sir Alex would have.....

Yeah, but if you believe Thursday's Sun, Sir Alex is Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili reincarnate.

Must've been a slow 'news' day in tabloid land.

Beg to differ - Steve Sidwell has the most verbose tattoo in football - he has his wedding vows tattoed on his back (as the photo on Soccer AM yesterday morning showed)

Yes but to be fair, he needs something on him to distract attention away from THAT hair